Book 2: Blood
by litlgaurdian
Summary: With airbending realized Avatar Korra continues her training and moves to master airbending completely. Not only that, but the four elements alone may not be enough. Even with Amon gone the anti-bending revolution continues under a new, just as sinister leader.
1. Chapter 1

The night fell and with it came darkness. The moon did not shine that night and the stars far above shone with thin, cold light. So dim was it that the snow did not reflect or sparkle in its reflection. The snow stretched in all directions, so far that its end could not be seen. Far in the distance a few trees dotted the horizon, but nothing more. The top of it had hardened to form a thin layer of ice. The frost was complete and unbroken as nothing had passed this way in so long.

Until tonight.

He walked slowly, his steps heavy and weary. The ice broke with each of his footfalls into shards that scraped against his shoes. Onward he walked until his broken body would support himself no more and he collapsed onto his side.

For a long while he lay there, unwilling to move even to save even himself. He had nothing. He was nothing. He would never be anything again. He would never have the things he loved ever again.

A hand closed on his shoulder. Through the painfully thin cloth of his clothes he could feel the warmth of it against his skin. He did not move, he did not look up. He could not think to look at the face he was somehow certain was above him.

The hand moved and touched his face, lifting it ever so gently. He followed its movements without trying to hold back. When he raised his amber eyes he saw a face so perfect he could not look away. She simply was every form of perfection imaginable. At first he thought he imagined her standing there in the starlight, his mind playing tricks on him. He cast such thoughts away knowing that this must be a spirit watching him.

"You were right." She said, "No matter what anyone says or will do you were right."

"I know." After so many days of wandering the sound of his own voice, dry and cracked from lack of water and use, sounded strange and distorted to him. "I will always know. And I will continue to do what is right."

She leaned forward and kissed him gently. Warmth and life passed through his body and he found the strength to stand, the will to live, the desire to fight on. He looked to the south where the life he led was left behind so tragically. He knew what he had to do, the very thing he should have done long ago and would do now.

Amon was gone, he betrayed the equalists he raised from the shadows. But there were still those that believed bending was the scourge of the world, the cause of all wrong with it. Amon had only made things worse in the bender's names. Now the equalists were scattered, but they needed someone to re-unite them. A new leader. A better leader. He would be that leader.

_The revolution would live on!_


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N) as some of you realized, the first chapter was short . . . . which it was supposed to be. The rest of it not so much. The story is supposed to be like the next season of Korra . . . . so expect it to be kind of long.

* * *

She crouched perfectly still, her senses pricked for every sound. The air was still and cold, yet she felt only the warmth of her own skin and the beads of sweat that dripped down the side of her face. Each drop felt like blood. She waited. Every moment lasting a thousand years and more.

Metal scraped loudly against metal as the door opened on poorly crafted hinges. It took a moment for the echoing of the sound to die down. The hand that rested on her raised knee tightened in anticipation. The intruder walked into the room, drawing closer to her hiding place. She saw his feet from just under the cloth that hung from the table she was under. She held her breath, not wanting to stir the cloth. She followed only with her eyes, not wanting him to hear her movement. He probably could have heard her heart anyway since it continued to pound and pound with every passing second.

He reached just past her hiding place and stopped. Every nerve in her body tightened. Had he heard her? Had he seen something? She kept thinking he would turn around at any moment and lift the tablecloth. She bit her lip hard to keep from making a sound. She was surprised to find she did not draw blood. Her lungs screamed silently for air, she could not hold herself in for much longer.

Then, he continued on. Relived she saw his feet walk farther away than she could see. He hadn't found her and she was safe. She let loose the painful breath and allowed herself to calm. A mistake she should have ever made.

Pain tore through her as she felt her body move without her will. She cried out as it dragged her from her hiding place and out in the open. She tried to fight, tried to run, but nothing on her would move. Her blood slowed in her veins, her heart struggled to beat. He lifted her higher, contorting her body as he did, straining her muscles.

Behind him Mako sprung from his hiding place, releasing fire at the enemy. Burned by a firebender as a child or not, hopefully he would have another scar tonight. Four times he threw great balls of fire. But he, ready for the attack, simply stood aside using his own bending to protect him and reached out towards Mako. The young firebender groaned as his body was bent to Amon's will as well. Amon lifted him high into the air.

Together they both were thrown to the ground. The stone floor of the gym she had once enjoyed training in with her friends caused her body to burn when she hit. Before she could hope to move again his bloodbending held her firm. She was forced to her knees as Amon walked around her. She felt his hand on her neck, then on her head. She heard Mako's voice, but could not understand him.

Within her the world fell away completely.

Weak unlike she had ever felt before she collapsed. He released her from his grip of bloodbending, though Mako he still held tight. She tried to stand and fight, focused like she had a thousand times and more in the past. But when she did nothing happened. No fire, no water, no earth. Nothing. And she fell back to the ground.

While she tried to stand again she heard voices. Someone else was there, talking, angry. She couldn't see them. She wasn't trying to listen. Inside her body still reached for the familiar touch of the other elements inside her. Every time she felt nothing. Something crashed and Amon stepped past her. He didn't even look at her, as if now she was nothing. She was nothing.

Her senses slowly returned, but still she had no strength within her. She felt heat behind her, heard static split the air as lightning struck. Amon flew past her, still hot from lightning. She felt warm hands on her shoulders and leaned into them. She could trust him, and he was all she had for now.

He carried her and fled. She tried to talk to him, to somehow make him understand how she felt. How empty and baron she was now. But her words would not do what she wanted. He tried to tell her she would be alright, but she could not believe him. Even he did not sound like he believed himself.

And when his frantic flight suddenly stopped and he dropped her, she knew they were caught. Amon lifted the boy and she fought to stand.

"No one has ever gotten the better of me like that before." Amon said darkly after toying with him, throwing him against the walls. Amon forced him to his knees and gripped him tightly. He touched his head and the boy cried out.

"NO!" She tried again to reach to the elements, any one of them, but felt nothing. Mako fell uselessly to the ground. Amon laughed and turned away. He just left them there, not caring what happened afterward.

She went to him, tears finally finding place as she held him. He didn't look up at her, his eyes were blank, emotionless. She shook him, calling his name. But he did not move, he did not speak. He was just there.

It took long moments before she noticed the world around her again. The hall was no longer empty, but filled with people. They looked at her angry and furious. They shouted things at her, most were lost in the sound of it all. Only Amon's voice could be heard above the rest.

"Look," He said. Korra searched for him and held Mako tighter, but she could not see his masked face, "_this_ is your avatar. Weak. Helpless. Pathetic. And to think, she thought she was going to be the one to save us. She can't even save herself, much less her friend." The roars and insults of the gathered equalists grew louder. Now she could pick a few of them from the crowds.

"She never did anything to help us" one shouted. "So much for being our avatar too." Another said, "If you were so strong then why bother lieing about Amon."

"No," She looked at the man who said the last comment, "I didn't lie. I know what he is."

"More lies!" She narrowed her eyes at the protestor she had seen in the park, "All she ever does is lie and oppress!"

"the avatar is an enemy!" Many started to say, "The avatar needs to be destoried!"

And with nowhere to run she curled herself as close to a ball as she could get. The people swarmed her, grabbing and pulling whatever they could. Mako was wrenched from her grip. She tried to reach him again, but he disappeared in the crowd. She tried to fight, but there were too many. If she was lucky enough to bring one down three would step forward to take her place. At first they were weak, tearing at her skin with nails and pulling at her clothes and hair. But at some point weapons were brought and she felt the metal of a sword tear through her shoulder.

She screamed and thrashed until her throat was dry. Hands gripped her wrists and held her tight. Someone called her again and again. The voice became more panicked each time it called. She couldn't answer. Couldn't speak. Couldn't escape. Blood dripped on the floor. Her wounds burned like fire.

Light flooded her vision.

Amon was gone. The equalists were gone. Her injuries were gone. Beside her she felt breath hot against her shoulder and Naga ran her tongue across her arm. Her sheets and blankets tangled around her body. Her hands were pinned to the bed she lay on. Mako held her still, his amber eyes watching her with fear and concern. After a moment he let her sit up. She leaned against him and let herself cry until the visions of the dream disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tenzin," Mako approached the airbender after night had fallen, not able to find a way to reach him during the day. In the few months after Amon had been defeated Korra, as well as her friends, left Republic City behind and moved to her home in the southern water tribe. It was a different life than what he was used to, but he was told that living here would be best for Korra, and so he stayed.

The master airbender sat on the edge of the porch to their new home. Roland was sleeping in his arms, his tiny arms moving in his dreams. Tenzin contently watched his son's movements with a soft smile. He looked up when Mako spoke. "Something wrong?"

"Probably," Mako sat beside him and looked over the land. It was strange looking out at the word and seeing it covered with a glittering layer of white. "It's Korra's dreams. They're getting worse. I'm not sure I know what to do."

"She just needs time." Mako sighed and turned away, resting his chin on his fist. he was starting to hate those words. Any time there was a problem, any time something went wrong, his answer was always to be patient and wait.

"I've been doing that. It's not helping her."

"Korra has been through a lot,"

"Who hasn't?"

Tenzin paused after the inturuption, "you didn't let me finish. She's been through a lot, probably more than any other benders usually go through, and it was all in such a short time. She wasn't even used to the city itself and was thrown into politics, war, and fear. Not to mention the pressure the people put on her. They expected so much from her and she simply wasn't ready. While she could control herself when it was happening her mind simply hasn't had the time to process everything on its own."

"So it's doing it now, in her dreams?" Tenzin nodded, "Well can it stop? I'm tired of not being able to help her."

"There's nothing we can do." The airbender put his hand on his shoulder, "But your concerns are admirable. Don't worry. She'll recover." Mako didn't answer and just looked out at the moon, high over the snow covered horizion.

* * *

The snow was soft here and the polar bear dog sank with almost every step. Her wide, powerful paws, equipped for walking through thick snow, was all that kept both her and her riding friends from plunging through the sea of white they walked over. She opened her mouth and let the cold air run over her tongue and with it she caught the sent of an arctic hen that passed this way not too long ago. Her ears perked and she almost followed it, but she was not out here to hunt, not yet at least. Her path she kept straight until the reins gently turned her in another direction.

They stopped only when they reached a place far away from the little town. Only the firelight from torches and lanterns could be seen of it. The moon, full and high above, watched and sent a ghostly cast over the world of ivory. The sea could be seen from here, gentle waves lapping at the icy shore. The moonlight against it shifted with each wave making it look like danging broken glass.

"Tell me again why we're out here?" Korra slid off Naga's back. Her boots sank into the snow, but only a little. The ground was much firmer here. She reached up and let the elder take her hand before sliding off as well. With both benders off her back Naga turned away to start her hunt. "Much less at night? As if I need any more reason to loose sleep."

"Because what we need to do is not something the rest of your friends need to be watching." She answered.

"Not even Tenzin?"

"Not even Tenzin." Korra was hesitant in saying something again. She hadn't expected the answer. Surly whatever they were doing couldn't be dangerous for her own son? But Katara walked a good distance away without a word.

"Umm, well, ok. Let's do this then." Korra focused, letting her mind fall into place so she was one with the world around her. She could feel the life force of water and ice beneath her feet, the warmth and furry of fire in the air, weak as it was. Everything was open to her now. She focused on the ice, water in cold solid form, ready for when Katara called for her to use it.

"We won't be waterbending today Korra," Katara said and the elder smiled at her confusion "You mastered waterbending when you were a child. There'd be no point to work with it now."

"So, why are we out here then?"

Katara made a long sigh before she spoke. "When I was a little girl, before Avatar Aang had even learned firebending, my friends and I traveled through the Fire Nation." The older woman's eyes glittered as she recounted the days of her youth, "It was difficult and dangerous work, but the worst of it did not come from a firebender, but a waterbender who once lived in our own tribe."

"Why were there waterbenders in the fire nation?"

"Her name was Hama, and she had escaped from a fire nation prison long before we came. It was she who first learned Bloodbending to escape and she taught it to me."

"_You _were a bloodbender?" Korra asked astonished. Katara nodded and a sort of rarely seen sadness crossed over her gaze.

"Hama used bloodbending against me. She forced Aang and my brother to fight me, and then each other."

"But why?" Katara shook her head.

"She was angry and probably scared. I don't know. Whatever the case I thought all bloodbending in the world ended with her and me."

"How'd that work out for you?" Korra looked away from her teacher. She hated anything and everything to do with bloodbending, even something as simple as talking about it.

"I don't know how Yakone learned bloodbending, or how he learned to do it outside of a full moon. I didn't hear about him until Aang came back from republic city and told me. And even then, his bending was gone now. I thought, again, that bloodbending was gone. I never knew he had children that he taught this dark art too."

"The story's nice," Korra said, "But both Amon, er, Noatak and Tarlok are dead. Why are you bringing this up?"

"Because I've been wrong too many times. Bloodbending, now that it is learned, is a part of the world just as much as we are, and I don't think it's going to go away. That is why," The master waterbender paused, "I need to teach it to you."

"What!" Korra took a step back. She felt a now familiar warmth in her limbs she normally felt before she started to firebend. "No. I've felt what it does to people. I'm not going to do that to someone else."

"I'm not teaching it to you as a weapon, Korra." The elder took a step towards her, a hand outstretched as if she was offering a gift, "The only way to fight bloodbending _is_ bloodbending. I used it to save my brother and Aang when it was first used against me. Noatak used it to keep fighting when Tarlok bloodbended him. And if another bender comes after you or your friends you will need to know how to protect them or yourself."

Korra was quiet for a few moments more, knowing her teacher was right but hating it. "Fine. What do you need me to do?"

"I will bloodbend you, Korra." Katara dropped her gaze, "All you need to do is resist me."

"that's it? Well, it shouldn't be too-" Her words stopped. Her body stopped. Her muscles refused to move and she was forced to the snow. She struggled to breathe and stay on her knees. In front of her Katara stood with her hand outstretched to the avatar, her expression still calm.

"Stand up, Korra." She said. The avatar tried to move, but nothing happened. Each time she tried to command her legs or arms pain seared her very core.

"I can't!"

"You have to." Katara told her, her voice sounding somewhat desperate, "think of your friends. You have to be able to help them if this happens again."

The sight of Mako, limp and lifeless from her dreams invaded her mind. It alone gave her the power to lift her torso, but she still could not fully stand. The victory lasted only a moment before she fell forward to her hands again and Katara released her.

"That was very good."

"It hurt." She growled.

"I know. Don't worry, we won't do this all the time. It only works on a full moon anyway." Korra rolled her eyes. She still didn't want to do this no matter how often. Before she could question it Katara raised a hand again, "Are you ready to try again?" And before she could answer she was back to the ground, writhing in pain. This time Katara held her for a shorter time. The pain that seared her body was too great and she cried out several times. The sound echoed endlessly of the land and she wondered if her friends, long since been asleep, could hear her.

They practiced long into the night and the morning. When the first rays of sun appeared over the horizon Katara dropped her hands and said it was enough. Korra panted, frustrated. She had never managed to repeat her first victory. All other attempts left her just struggling to breathe on her hands and knees. Screams ripped their way through her throat and tears dripped from the corners of her eyes. Naga lifted her head from where she had buried her prey and bent lower to make mounting easier for Katara. Before Korra joined her the polar bear dog nudged her with her nose. Korra knew she was trying to comfort her. Korra forced a smile and pat her friend's head before she mounted. With both benders safely on her back the polar bear dog headed home at her fastest, more than ready to curl into her bed until morning.

The dog slowed only when the village came into view. The gates were opened for them and Naga trotted lazily to the front steps of the house Korra now called home. Mako and Tenzin were sitting outside on the front steps. Korra walked past them, almost refusing to look at them. she didn't know why they were there, nor did she want to talk to them. Especially about the fact that she and Katara had been practicing bloodbending. The thought alone disgusted her. It didn't make things better that it was yet another thing to add to the list of things she was a failure at. Mako stood and followed a few steps, reaching out to her just as she opened the door.

"Korra, wait. How was your training?"

"It was fine." She said harshly and slammed the door shut before going to bed.

* * *

The nightmare came again that night. It always started in a similar way. Amon hunting her, her trying to escape and failing miserably. He would always find her. Every time he did he took away her bending, leaving her nothing but empty. She would try to bend again, she would fail. And so she would be forced to run, and he would catch her.

But what happened after would always be different, even in ways Korra knew was impossible. Sometimes Amon would come wielding a sword and cut her down. Other times he came with his followers who held her tight and forced her to watch Mako fight an impossible fight with him. Other times he would fight the two with firebending, wrapping her body with ropes of fire and laughing as she screamed until her voice was hoarse. Mako's eyes would glitter with unshed tears as he watched someone else he loved be murdered by a firebender.

But every night she would wake up. Mako would be there, Naga beside her bed. She would lean against him and run her hand through Naga's soft fur. She told herself every time that it wasn't real. Told herself that she and Mako were safe. But the sight of it, the pain that felt so real, it would overwhelm her.

Then every night as she began to compose herself Mako would gently hold her shoulders and ask her what had happened. She would begin to open her mouth to answer, but it never came. She always dismissed it saying she was tired or it didn't matter. She would lay back down and attempt to fall back asleep. Most times he stayed there, sitting on her bed with his hand on her shoulder. Sometimes he left. Somehow, she wished he would do the second more.

He was already doing too much dealing with her as she was. She didn't need him knowing what nightmares coursed through her.

* * *

The next morning Korra was slow to wake up. She had always been a bit slow in the morning, but lately she had been getting worse at it. This morning she had only gotten up because Naga had jumped on her bed, nearly breaking it, and covered her with licks. Right now her and her dog were the only ones in the room. Her wagging tail and bright, happy eyes helped to make the darkness of the dreams fade away. With Naga fed and watered Korra could, for the first time in a while, walk out of the house with a smile on her face.

Tenzin had been teaching her airbending in the same arena she had learned the other elements. She liked the familiar feel of the place she had called home her entire life, but Tenzin missed the warmer weather and the tools he had ready to him on Air Temple Island. Still he made progress with her, just as they expected. Even now though, her biggest challenge was not the forms or even the bending itself, it was the spirituality that Tenzin demanded she find some way to use.

She opened the door to the arena, blinking in the sunlight, and saw more than just Tenzin. Katara was there as well as Mako and his brother. Iggy was also there holding her father's hand. But there was one other face among them she hadn't expected to see: Asami. After her the end of the revolution she stayed in Republic City taking command of the company her father had left behind.

"Asami," Korra called to her waving, "hey. Didn't think you would be coming by."

"I didn't think I'd need to." Korra noticed the way she never actually met her gaze.

"Is something wrong."

"Very wrong." Tenzin answered. "Asami came with a message only an hour ago. Republic City was attacked only a night ago."

"Why didn't we know about this?" Korra asked, "Who did it."

"It's more equalists," Asami answered, "just like my father. They cut the power to the city before they started dropping bombs from the sky. Then just as fast as they came they were gone."

"But why."

"I'm not sure, but we have ideas." Asami paused, "They left after the prisons were under their control, as well as a few other buildings, including town hall. A lot of equalists were freed before they left, including my father."

"Then, the revolution's starting again?" Korra said not even wanting to believe her own words, "How? Who's leading them if Amon is dead." She couldn't voice that perhaps the bloodbender was alive. She glanced for a second at Katara. Would she need her bloodbending training soon?"

"We don't know." Tenzin answered, "What matters is that we get back to Republic City as quickly as possible."


	4. Chapter 4

Oogie raised his tail and dropped it heavily to the ground. The bison leapt into the air at the same moment and took to the skies. There were three bison on their flight to Republic City. Oogie carried Tenzin, Korra, Mako and Asami. Pemma had refused to stay behind, even with the kids, and the small family of airbenders rode on another sky bison. Naga and Pabu played on the last bison while Bolin and Katara watched. Tenzin had said several times that he thought his mother needed to stay behind, just as much as he tried to make Pemma stay, But she insisted and came along just the same.

Tenzin rode on his bison's head, the reins tight in his hands as they took off over the vast ocean. Even with Oogie at his fastest he didn't expect to be in Republic City until at least nightfall, if not the next day. Korra leaned against the back of the saddle, her legs crossed in front of her and her elbows resting on the saddle. Mako didn't sit right next to her as he might have normally, but on the side of the saddle resting his head on his hand. Asami sat at the saddle's head, closest to Tenzin who had starting questioning her since the flight began.

"Tell us how the equalists attacked this time." He said barely looking behind him.

"I don't really know when it started. I was asleep." Asami's eyes dropped to the seat of the saddle, "I noticed it when the bombs started falling. I guess when it happened it wasn't unlike the first time. They took out the power first, not giving us the chance to call for help."

"What about general Ihro?" Mako asked, "He was supposed to be overseeing the city's recovery after the last time wasn't he?"

"He was," Tenzin answered for her, "And so was my brother. Did something happen to them?"

"And what about Lin?" Korra asked. Now that Korra had restored her bending she returned to Republic City and took the place she deserved as chief again. Sicon had not fought her and stepped down willingly.

"They're all fine, so far as I know at least." Asami answered,

"As far as you know really isn't an answer now is it," Korra grumbled not meaning to be loud enough for her to hear. Asami narrowed her amber eyes.

"It's not like I have a way to talk to them. The power was still down when I left. The equalists basically destroyed the power plant when they attacked. What do you want me to do?"

"It's fine." Mako said before Korra could snap back at her, "I'm sure you did everything you could with what you had." Asami leaned back, her arms crossed.

Tenzin broke the silence that lasted a few moments, "Did anyone manage to send for any kind of help?"

Asami shrugged, "Bumi sent a hawk somewhere. But it was this _ancient_ bird. I doubt it would get anywhere very fast. And I don't know where it went. At the time I didn't care."

"At least someone knows what's happening." Mako said.

From Oogi's head Tenzin stroked his beard in thought. "You said the equalists left after they took control of the prisons. Was there anyone else aside from your father that we know that was freed?"

"That guy from Cabbage Corp. he wasn't really an equalist before, but he was pretty mad that he was wrongly accused so easily. Someone convinced him that they were right somewhere along the way."

"Great. The two greatest heads of industry hate us." Korra said. Again they were quiet as they thought for a long while. Mako was the most quiet of the four of them, preferring to look up at the sun or his brother. Tenzin often looked back to his family. Every now and then they would hear shouts and shrieks of Meelo and Iggy playing. The others were usually pretty quiet, Jenora was reading while Pemma devoted most of her attention to the baby. Finally Korra thought of something,

"Umm, when they attacked was there any sign of Amon? Or Tarlok maybe?"

"Both of them are dead remember? The lieutenant said he saw Amon try to escape with his brother. The speedboat they were using just exploded before they even got outside of the harbor. There were plenty of other witnesses too."

"I know." Korra brought her knees up and rested her chin on them and wrapped her arms around them, "I was just, you know, thinking." She closed her eyes for a moment. _Amon _is _dead, _she'd tell herself, _he can't be leading this new revolution._

But if he wasn't then who was?

They talked long into the day. Tenzin never seemed to run out of questions. He wondered how the council was getting on without him. After he had left the representative of the Fire Nation had never been found and was proclaimed dead. Until a new one was chosen Ihro was taking over her duties. The southern water tribe was still without a representative. Several had stepped forward to take the place, but the council went back and forth on who to accept. Only a single person who came to take the position was a non-bender. People argued that they should allow the non-bender to lead the council to quiet the non-bender's rage. Others said that if they appointed another waterbender who's to say they were not letting another bloodbender come to power. Most said that without Tenzin's vote they could not appoint a leader of any kind. Other's said that General Ihro's votes meant nothing since he was a man of battle, not of politics. The arguments continued endlessly.

"Ugh," Korra finally dropped her head back, "Remind me again, Tenzin, why you wanted to be a part of this nonsense?"

"Because this nonsense is what keeps Republic City running," He paused, "That is, as long as it's done properly."

"And when has that happened since I've been here?"

She looked over the side of the Sky bison. They passed an island far below them. A great sea snake twisted its way around a series of rocks nearby. Naga barked at it as they passed and Pabu scurried around her feet. Tenzin watched the island as it disappeared behind them. His eyes narrowed just before he turned back to the path ahead of them.

"Do you really think it was a good idea to let your family come along, Tenzin?" Asami asked. She had been watching them play for a while now.

"no, I don't think that at all. Believe me, I could have done with them staying back with the waterbenders. But at the same time, it's nice knowing they are somewhere where I can protect them."

"Katara too?"

Tenzin sighed, "I highly doubt my mother needs any kind of protecting." He flicked Oogie's reins, "Come on now, don't slow down." The bison roared and waved his tail. "I'm sure you are tired, but it's only a few more hours." He only roared again.

"You said they had taken hold of several buildings in the city," Tenzin said after Oogie had sped up a good amount.

"Well, I didn't know which ones they were after. I didn't get far from the mansion before I was fighting for my life. Once they were gone I met with Lin and the reports came in from all over the city. First there was the massive prison break," Asami counted on her fingers as she went, "then there was the powerplant, basically reduced to rubble. City hall was attacked too. It's only thanks to Ihro that no one was captured again. Oh, and they went after the pro-bending arena again. Why they like that place I'm not sure. But both General Bumi and General Ihro's armies were camped out inside so they didn't get far. Then from there they just kind of randomly destroyed and captured. They took a few shops, some resturants, a library, some civilian homes. Who knows why."

"Probably to spread confusion." Tenzin suggested. Asami nodded.

"Whatever the case. After the prison was breached and the equalists escaped they left." Asami's eyes narrowed in thought, "Now that I'm thinking more about it I went to the prisons with Lin after she told me my father was one of the ones that got away. Some of the convicts that escaped were earthbenders."

"They probably just saw an opening to freedom and took advantage of the confusion." Tenzin told her,

"Yeah, I thought that too. But one of the guards at the prisons said he saw the earthbenders leave _with _them, like they were, well, equals."

"So there are benders who support anti-benders now?" Mako said, "Well, that makes everything easier now doesn't it? How are we supposed to know who's on our side?"

"I'm gonna say anyone who's willing to punch an equalist is on our side." Korra said. She looked past Asami. Far in the distance she could just barely see the first few of Republic City's tallest buildings on the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, painting them red and orange. Tenzin flicked Oogie's reins again.

"Still, it does complicate things." Tenzin added, "what could cause a bender to hate bending?"

"I wouldn't know." Korra shrugged. Maybe things were different for her because she was the avatar, but the elements she bent, earth, fire, water, and now, air, were as much a part of her as she was with them and the world. She knew that more than ever now that she had lost them. Nothing could explain how hollow and empty she had been. How could non-benders stand it? She looked at Asami, the only non-bender in their little avatar team, the only one who fought beside them against her own family. She got along fine, even without being able to bend. But maybe that was because she did not know how wonderful it felt. And Mako, he had his family taken away from him with the same art he used and he still supported bending. So why?

"So, to wrap up," Mako said finally catching sight of the city, "The equalists are back, but we don't know who's leading them. The entire city is without power unless the plant gets rebuilt. Dozens or more equalists are out of jail, including your dad,"

Asami raised her hand to stop him, "dozens? Try hundreds."

"Even better. _Hundreds _of equilists out of jail. How big is that place?"

"Pretty big. Go on,"

"Some of the people freed are earthbenders too. The city's council is basically useless for the time being. We have two generals and two armies ready to fight for us, one being General Ihro's and the other General Bumi's. We also have Lin and her metalbenders."

"What's left of them. The equalists were dropping _bombs_. There were casualties. I think all three put together is not even the size of Ihro's first fleet."

"Great. And on top of all that the only hope we have of reinforcements is a message sent off by an old bird."

"That seems about right."

"This is going to be one heck of a party." Korra stood and walked to the front of the bison, Mako joining her as she passed him and Asami when they were close enough. The three of them had to adjust the way they stand to keep from blowing off the bison's back. From here they could see the city. It was just as bad as Asami had made it seem, if not somehow worse.

Buildings lay in crumbled heaps. Those that still stood were coated with layers of ashes and soot. The sky around it was gray and clouded. The normally clear waters that let to it was black and brown and debris from the buildings peppered the harbor. Korra followed the streets with her eyes. They were all deserted. No merchants on the streets, no satomobiles, not even children playing on the side of the road.

"Looks like there's a lot to fix." Tenzin said looking over the city just as gravely as the rest of them. "We'll go back to air temple island for now. In the morning we'll work on trying to stop this thing."

* * *

A single hawk soared the skies, for it was its master. The sea below it was like a sheet of glass stretched out before it, fish glittering between the waves. But he ignored such things for it had nothing to do with where he was headed. He flew on distracted by nothing and feeling only the wind glide over his feathers. He flapped to gain more speed until he found the place he was searching.

It was a small land covered with trees. Within the trees he found nests made of wood and stone and he stopped among them. In the center of the nests he found a place to perch and landed. Many of the humans around the perch noticed him started pointing. He let out a screech just to be certain he was noticed.

A human came forward and took the small container strapped between his shoulders. It tossed him a piece of meat which he devoured hungrily. The human read and raised its voice, "Send word to our allies!" She said, "Republic City is crippled. General Ihro and Bumi are weak. Now is the perfect time to strike."


	5. Chapter 5

I know it took me such a long time to post this. Internet is rare nowadays, but I'll post when I can.

* * *

The children leapt off the back of their bison the moment he touched the ground. Iggy immediately ran to one of the feeders for the flying lemurs. A few of them were already around the small cage of fruits and took to the air chattering loudly when she came. Meelo created an air scooter for himself and darted around the courtyard shouting joyously. Even Jenora ran to the main buildings and stroked one of the lemurs that had run from Iggy.

The rest came down much less enthusiastically. Naga slid cautiously down the back of the bison's tail, stumbling a little when she reached the ground. She shook the dust off her fur and barked for Pabu and Bolin to follow. Pemma eased off the back of hers carefully cradling Roahan in her arms. Before Korra had even noticed he had moved Tenzin was by her side to help her.

"I don't need help with everything anymore remember?" She said when she was on the ground.

"I know, I just don't want you to trip or anything." He held his wife for a moment and put his hand to his son's head.

Korra looked up and saw that Mako had already gotten off and held his hand out to Asami who was following unsteadily. Her heart felt a now familiar pain, the one that came when he saw Mako and Asami together. But she told herself that part of her life was over. Mako loved her and she loved him. Regardless of what feelings he had for Asami she trusted that she came first in his life. Besides, she didn't want this to mean she couldn't have some kind of a relationship with her. Asami was, after all, a good person and friend. And she didn't want to be _that_ kind of friend.

When she was at the bottom Korra prepared to follow. Tenzin's voice stopped her, "Not that way, Korra," He said, "Off the side."

"You know this is like a fifteen foot drop right?" Korra shouted back at him.

"And? You're an airbender now. Make it work." He ran his hand along his beard as he watched. Korra knew he wasn't about to change his mind and took a deep breath before jumping.

She released her breath as she let herself take to the air. She reached out with her mind and her arms, reaching out to the last of the elements. She could feel it, something as simple and thin as a soft winter breeze. She took hold of it and pushed it below her to help slow her fall. Her feet hit the ground, hard enough to make her calves and knees sting, but not enough to seriously hurt her. Tenzin nodded in approval and followed after his children.

"That didn't look too bad." Bolin said from where he was mounted on Naga. The polar bear dog wagged her tail before walking towards the buildings, "Hey Naga wait!" Bolin shouted, "I wasn't done talking yet."

"You do know she has reins right?" Korra said following.

"Oh yeah, forgot." Bolin took hold of the reins and gave them a slight tug. Naga reared with a growl and ran in tight circles like she was chasing her tail until Bolin bounced off to one side. Mako and Korra ran to help him up, laughing, "Ugh, like an angry komodo rhino, that one."

"Maybe I should do the driving from now on, huh?" Korra laughed once he was standing.

"Yeah, well you drive her. I'll drive the car. How's that?"

"I thought I was the driver?" Asami said finally catching up with them. Team avatar moved together towards the air temples. There Lin stood waiting, one arm resting behind her back. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she caught sight of the avatar.

"If you four are done _playing_ then we have work to do." She said before looking back at Tenzin. Her gaze softened ever so slightly when she did, "I assume Asami briefed you when she met with you?"

"She told us all she could." Tenzin answered, "But I'd like to see the city for myself before I make any calls."

"I thought you would." Lin nodded back towards the docks. "I already had a ship set up ready to take us to the main land. I suggest you leave your buffalo here." Tenzin opened his mouth to say something back but she already started walking to where the boat was waiting. She passed Korra and the others without so much as a glance.

"What's her deal?" Korra mumbled when she had passed.

"She's been like that since the attack." Asami said shrugging, "Must have took it personally or something."

After a few minutes it was decided that only Korra, Tenzin, Asami, and Mako would go out to see the city. Even Naga was left behind. The polar bear dog put her heavy head on Korra's shoulder as the waterbender pet her goodbye. She could hardly remember a time when she was without her on the city's streets. With a sharp word from Lin the two friends parted. Tenzin and Mako were already ready to leave by the time Korra joined them.

After they reached the shore Korra looked for the car, but did not see it. The place where she had crashed was replaced with a different street light, but the car itself was gone. "Asami parking at her place now?" She asked.

"Having a car out on the street has turned into a risk no one wants to take." Lin told her, "Having one makes you open to attacks from all directions since having one has turned into a luxury most people can't afford."

"Why?"

"Because after the attack anyone that could fled the city. People _want_ to get out of here, no matter the cost. But some don't think they have the means to do it, namely, a car to take them. And they will kill to get their hands on one. I've fought a good number of battles in the past few hours, there's no need to escalate things. From here we walk."

"Was that why you wouldn't let Naga come." Korra asked,

"Exactly. I don't even want to think of what the people will do to capture her." Korra's hand tightened into a fist. She'd like to see someone try to take Naga from her. She felt Mako's hand on her shoulder and was able to let herself calm.

They continued to walk through the city streets. The city looked like it was the same, if you could get past how dark everything had become or the fact that most of the windows that lined the streets were broken. But what hit the hardest as to how much had changed was how quiet it was. She had become used to the sounds of satomobiles roaring, people shouting, children playing, animals making noises. The city was alive just as much by the sounds it made as it was with the people that lived there.

"I thought people live here still?" Korra said looking up at a building. It stretched high into the sky, its walls made of broken glass and reflecting the gray skies. "Where are they?"

"They do live here." Lin answered, "Most are probably at their jobs or at home. The only ones that work anymore is the council, the military, the police, and medical emergency teams. Everyone else is just trying to stay alive."

They walked a long way to city hall. Korra had never realized quite how far away it was. As they got closer to the inner city they saw a few civilians. They walked quickly on the sides of the streets holding whatever they were carrying close to them. Most of them noticed the small group walking by. They'd look, but never say anything before continuing on. One man, homeless by the looks of his clothes, sat by the steps to city hall. He looked up at the group as they reached the steps, worried eyes watching Lin carefully as if she would chase him away. When she walked past him without more than a glance he relaxed putting his head back on his knees.

Inside city hall had been returned to its former glory. The floor as well as the chairs and balcony had been repaired from Korra's fight with Tarlok. Still, evidence of the battle was left in the slight discoloration of the repairs. At the head of the room the curved table for the councilmen waited for them. Several candles rested on the white tablecloth, unlit as the sunlight from outside still came from the windows above them, sending shafts of light against the wall. At the table what remained of the councilmen waited for them, Ihro taking the place of the Fire Nation representitive just as Asami had said. Where Tarlok once sat three others dressed in garments of the southern water tribe waited. Leaning against one of the pillars by the balcony Bumi watched the council members argue. All looked up when the new comers came.

Ihro was the first to stand "Tenzin," He said, his voice relieved, "Finally you came. We've been waiting."

"We came as soon as we could," Korra answered, "Where are the equalists?"

"Gone," his brother answered, "For now. I give it a day before they attack us again. Which is why we should be going after them."

"We don't have the men or the resources for that." One of the new councilmen spoke up. "Attacking back would be a disaster."

"Fine, take away our edge of surprise."

Ihro sighed heavily and looked back to Tenzin, "This whole thing has been one argument after another. Hopefully with you here we can finally settle on things."

"Of course." Tenzin stepped away from the group and took his place on the side of the table which had been left open for him. "Well, first, let's get caught up. I can assume you three are the ones wanting to take Councilman Tarlok's place?" He gestured towards the three.

"We are." Said the one who had spoken against Bumi. He stood and Korra was surprised at his height. His long black hair was tied into several ponytails, this sides of his head cut short to little more than stubble. "I am Koyak. This is Kestana," He gestured to the girl who sat on one side of him. She watched the other council members with soft blue eyes, sometimes narrowing them but making no other movements, "And this is Mortaka." The last of them was a darker skinned man with a wide chest and sea-green eyes. He kept a powerful hand clasped over his knee at all times.

Tenzin bowed slightly after the three were introduced, "I am glad to have met you. I only wish it were under different circumstances."

"Perhaps when all this is over then we can." Mortaka said, his voice deep like an earthquake. "For now what matters is securing the city."

"The city is already lost," The councilman from the northern water tribe said, "Our best option is to evacuate anyone who is left behind."

"And let the equalists win that easily?" The earth kingdom councilman pounded a heavy fist on the table, "I think not. I side with General Bumi, we must fight back. Let them see that they have not beaten us."

Korra looked to the others. Lin stood still as her element, her face solid as stone. She said nothing as they argued among themselves. Mako stood back a few paces, his gaze mostly following patterns on the ceiling. Asami had found a place to lean and was waiting there, her arms folded against her chest and one foot against the wall. As her wandering gaze drifted back to Tenzin she saw him watching her. His head jerked slightly towards the council. Korra grumbled under her breath, even though she understood. She was the avatar after all, she should be paying attention.

"There's no way we can evacuate everyone." Korra said at last. The council looked up at her expectantly and she grew hesitant, as she often did when everyone was expecting her to say something. "There's a lot of people here and, well, not everyone can get out. And they really don't have a place to go if they did leave."

"There's nothing for them here." The councilman from the northern water tribe put in.

"Or maybe there is." Korra said, "This is these people's home, they're not going to leave it easily. If anything they will fight the hardest for it."

"Are you telling me we should let civilians fight in this?" Ihro asked.

"That's crazy." Lin told her finally stepping up, "they have no training, no discipline, and no stomach for war."

"I think the little dewdrop's getting somewhere." Bumi lifted his head. "Let them fight for their home."

"People will die." Ihro told him, "Besides, just because they live here doesn't mean they'd give their lives for it."

"What was it your dad said now?" Bumi said as if thinking, "Oh yeah, something around the lines of the people of the earth kingdom being proud and strong and they could endure anything as long as they have hope." Ihro said nothing in return. "They wouldn't just roll over and let some squad of chicken pigs just torch them out of house and home then. They won't do it now. These people will fight for their homes, their lives, their loved ones, their bending. If we let them fight they won't let us down."

"He's right." Mako stepped forward "If it came down to a fight for my home or turning tail and running I'd fight no matter the odds. This city is the only home I've got, even if it's not much of one. I'm pretty sure there are plenty more out there just like me."

The council was quiet for a few moments more. A lizard crow flew in through one of the open windows. After circling the room and finding no food he flew back out the window. "You would actually give your life for your home." Kestana asked standing and looking at Mako. He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, yeah." He said, "I mean, the city's more than just a place. It's where I was born, where I grew up. It's where Bo and I lost our parents, but it's also where we kept going just the same. It's where we found work in pro bending. And it's where I met Korra." She looked away slightly embarrassed, "The city isn't just a place. It's like it holds all my memories, the good ones and the bad ones. And I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"And you think that the rest of the people here would do the same?"

"Well, not all of them. But most."

"You heard the kid." Bumi pushed off the pillar and stepped towards the others, "Round up some street kids and I'll make an army out of them. We'll hit those equalists so hard and fast they won't know what hit them."

"If what Koyak says is true," Tenzin told him, "then there's no way we can fight back against them and hope to win. What we need to do first is secure the city. Then we can think of fighting back, if that even becomes an option."

"Why don't we start by rebuilding the power plant?" Korra suggested? "I'm sure if we got the lights back on in this place it'll help a lot."

"Not to mention it would do wonders for the moral of the people." Ihro added. "But we'll have to do it fast. We'll need workers and we'll need a lot of them. Not to mention we'll be working against the clock. Who knows when the equalists will attack again."

"Asami," Kestana looked to the girl. She had not moved from her spot, but she lifted her head when called, "you took control of Future Industries when your father was arrested. Do you think you could provide a work force that could get the plant up and running again?"

"I can try." She said, "I'm not the leader my father was, but I know how he got things moving. I have some friends still left in the city. With some of their help I'm sure we can get something done."

"Then our course of action is set." Tenzin said, "Some of us will see to the plant being rebuilt, the rest will get together a militia of sorts. We're going to need benders and non-benders both. Asami, if you could take part in the recruitment as well it would help a great deal. The public needs to see a non-bender siding against the equalists." Asami nodded, "Generals Bumi and Ihro, you will work alongside Chief Biefong to help train and organize the recruits."

"We'll need more than just us." Lin said, "While I can whip some earthbenders into shape and Ihro can have his way with his own soldiers there's not much I can say to a waterbender. I imagine he could do less."

"True." Tenzin stroked his beard, "Korra, I'd like you to help with this as well. The avatar needs to have involvement in this somehow." Korra nodded, "And Mortaka, if you could help her that would be nice. While the avatar is a skilled waterbender I'm afraid her experience in a position of leadership is a bit lacking."

"Why don't you just say you don't trust me?" Korra mumbled quietly under her breath. Thankfully Tenzin had not heard her.

"The rest of you find some way to make yourself useful. Okano, Rishmi," He looked at the representative from the northern water tribe and earth kingdom. "this is not a battle that can be won with debates and conferences. We, as leaders of Republic City, must take part."

The two representatives nodded and Okano stood. "I still believe that this is a hopeless battle. The encouraging words from a boy who has lived on the streets his entire life, been associated with _criminals_ for a part of it," Mako's hand tightened into a fist and Korra saw anger flash in his amber eyes. "has done nothing to move me. I still stand by my position. People need to be moved out of the city. That will by how I contribute, by bringing people who are not willing to fight a winless battle or rebuild a plant that will only be destroyed when they return."

"Very well." Tenzin said at last, "It makes perfect sense that some will not be willing to help us. You will take charge of that task then. Take the resources you need."

"It would be most useful if we could use a few of your acolytes' sky bison."

"Fine. Take the ones you need, all but my own. I may need him." Okano nodded and sat back down. "So, are we agreed in this or do we need to take a vote?" None argued with him. "Good. Then get started." He dropped the gavel with a sharp crack.

* * *

Naga leapt into the air, massive jaws open and snapping shut. Her prey, the small winged insect, had escaped her grasp. But that did not stop her from bounding a few paces after it, rearing on her hind legs, and trying again. A sharp word cut the air that caused her ears to lift and her tail to wag.

"Naga!" She called, "Naga! Where'd you go girl?" Naga forgot her prey and ran over the hard surface of soil until she saw the human she loved. She bounced to a stop and licked her face as she scratched under her muzzle in her favorite spot. "Hey girl. I missed you." Naga nuzzled the side of her face.

"Hey!" Korra turned at the sound. Naga sniffed the tiny animal he carried, "What, you guys leave and forget about me?"

"Nah," Korra shrugged, "But if you want love from me you've got to wait in line." She then walked to Bolin and pet his head, "There. Better now?"

"Not what I was hoping for, but, ok. So how'd everything go?"

"The place is pretty bad." Mako reported and began retelling all that had happened to his brother. Korra had stopped petting Naga so the dog nudged her with an oversized paw to make sure she didn't forget.

"So . . . . we get to make an army? How are we gonna start doing that?" Bolin asked when he was finished.

"Tenzin said that Aang used to tell him that almost two hundred years ago when people needed a message spread they would send a person to walk the streets yelling the message as loud as possible. They were called a crier or something."

"So, who's gonna be the crier?"

"Who else?" Mako shoved his brothers shoulders, "You."

"Really?" Bolin's eyes widened and his smile brightened.

"Yeah. You're the loudest person I know. Who else would do it?"

"Gee, thanks." The earthbender rolled his eyes, "Well, if that's all it takes why not take the screaming airbender child of death? Seriously, I think Pabu might go deaf if she doesn't stop yelling around him." He covered the little fire ferret's ears making a pitiful face.

"She's just playing." Korra said,

"Evil playing!"

"Besides, she likes Pabu. Why wouldn't she?" Korra pet the Pabu's head and he made a small squeaking sound, "I mean, isn't he just the cutest little fire ferret."

"Well, I suppose you're right." He sighed, "So, when do I do this yelling thing?"

"Tenzin's supposed to be writing a speech for you." Mako answered, "When he's finished you leave."

To write the speech Tenzin locked himself into his study and asked that he not be disturbed. He wanted to make sure that what he wrote was what he wanted to be heard. It had to be brief and simple, yet it had to inspire a fire in the hearts of the people like no other. And so his work had to be perfection.

A while passed and Korra found a place to sit on a fallen tree not too far from the temple. Before her stretched a landscape of grass dotted with bushes and shrubs and a tree off to one side. A single lemur bounded past, a piece of fruit in his mouth, but aside from that it was empty. Further out she could see the sea and watched the fading sunlight dance against the broken surface. And then, far ahead, she could see Avatar Aang Memorial Island. The airbender stood proudly and tall, his staff stretched in front of him. She wondered what her past life thought when he looked over the city now.

"Well," She muttered as if the statue so far away could hear her, "I'm an airbender now. Not a very good one, but it's better than nothing right?"

"Of course you'll get better." She felt an arm around her shoulder. Habitually she flinched away from the touch regardless of the fact that she knew exactly who was there. Mako had come and taken a place on the tree beside her. From what she could see he had come alone. That thought made her smile, they rarely had relaxed a moment to themselves since her bending had been restored.

"I know I _will_, it's a matter of how long it'll take that worries me."

"You'll be fine," He ran his hand over her hair, "besides, you remember Aang hardly knew firebending-"

"When he faced the Fire Lord," She leaned against him, "I know. I know. Look, I don't want to talk about my bending right now. I get enough of that with Tenzin."

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Surprise me."

"Alright," Mako breathed in deeply, held his breath for a moment, then answered, "I want you to tell me about your dreams."

"Nevermind." Korra started to push away from him, but he held onto her. Her muscles tightened as if she was going to fight him. Visions of equalists holding her captive flashed in her mind.

"It's ok." He told her, "I want to hear."

"No you don't. It's stupid. And it really isn't your problem anyway so why do you even care?"

"Because I love you." He said the words so calmly and gently she felt herself slowly relax against him. "Look, I know you said you don't want me doing you any favors. But I'm not. I'm doing it for myself as much as you."

She nuzzled her head into the curve under his chin as he stroked her hair. "Why is it that I'm always the one that needs helping? Can't I help you with stuff every once in a while?"

"You have. You gave us a teammate when we needed one. You were there when Bolin was captured. You exposed Mr. Sato for the equalist he was. You stopped Amon and the first bending revolution. And you gave me yourself. What more could I ask for." She blushed a little but didn't answer. Finally he asked her again, "Tell me."

"It's just," She searched for the right words. "It's just Amon. That time when he chased us in the arena."

"When he took your bending?"

"Yeah, that's when." She said, "But that's all. It's just that same dream over and over again."

"Tenzin said your mind is needing time to recover after everything that happened."

"You talked to Tenzin about this?" She pulled away from him, a flash of anger in her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure he already knew." He shrugged, "I was worried about you."

"You worry a lot, don't you?" He nodded, "Probably a little too much."

"Maybe." He shrugged again, "But I'd rather worry too much then lose you again."

She smiled and cupped the side of his face. His amber eyes sparked with a sort of life that only came from her touch. His arms wrapped around her. Their lips met and joy spread through her body. They parted and she looked between his eyes and his lips, running her thumb over them. Mako ran his fingers through her long hair.

"Don't make me lose you either." She told him. "I love you too."

* * *

"Away!" The call bounced off the far away buildings. The two young benders had returned to find Bolin sitting astride Naga. The polar bear dog wagged her tail and panted, but did not walk. "Gee! Ha! Charge! Yip Yip!"

"It's not a sky bison silly." Iggy laughed from where she watched.

"Well you think of something then."

"Naga, come here girl." Korra called and she lifted her head. Her tail wagged harder and she pounded over to where Korra and Mako stood. Unprepared Bolin fell to the ground in a small cloud of dust while Iggy laughed. "Good girl."

"Hey, no fair." He brushed himself off, "How come every time I'm on her I end up in the dirt."

"I donno. Maybe I'll give you some riding lessons sometime. Why did you want her anyway?"

"I was gonna try to find you two. Tenzin's done with his speech."

"So we should head out then. We'll take Naga to cover more ground." She remembered Lin's warning, but she was ignoring her. Again. She didn't think anyone would be smart enough to try to face a polar bear dog.

"Not tonight." Mako told her holding her shoulder, "It's real late. We should be getting some sleep. Besides, no one's going to be out this late anyway. You and Bolin can do this in the morning."

"Fine," Bolin spread his arms in a wide stretch and a long yawn. "I was tired anyway. See you in the room Mako." The earthbender scratched his head and headed towards the boy's side of the island.

After he was gone Korra started to her room after a quick good night to Mako, but before she had gotten inside he called to her. "Wait. Will you be ok?"

"I'll be fine. They haven't attacked yet."

"I wasn't worried about the equalists attacking. I was talking about your sleep."

"Oh," She avoided his worried gaze. She knew exactly what was waiting for her when she fell asleep. Visions of fire, blood, pain, and death. "I'll be fine. I always am."

"Maybe," He took her hand and she looked up. She didn't like how the memories had caused her to be so distracted she didn't even see him come closer. "But maybe I could go with you."

"Well," She felt her blush coming back as she considered his offer. Tenzin probably wouldn't have approved if he found out. Still, she answered, "Ok."

* * *

"Come brothers and sisters! Come benders and non! Join us and fight for our home! Fight for our lives, fight for our loved ones, fight for our freedom!" Bolin took a deep breath before starting again. "Come brothers and sisters! Come benders and non! Join us and fight for our home! Fight for our lives, fight for our loved ones, fight for our freedom!"

"You sure that's what he told you to say?" Korra looked over her shoulder to the earthbender who rode behind her. His body shifted slightly as Naga's body moved beneath him. The polar bear dog plodded slowly down the street. Above them the noonday sun glittered off the buildings around them. A small cluster of people followed behind them muttering to themselves. The two had left at dawn and started their patrol. Bolin had been calling all morning and his voice had just started to show the first signs of strain.

"Yeah, here's the paper he told me to read from." He handed her a scrap of paper and she read the words he had shouted countless times.

"This is what he came up with? Well, if he's anything he's not made for speeches." Korra looked behind her at their followers. If the call managed to bring someone's attention Tenzin told them to send them to Air Temple Island. There Asami and Pemma, along with a few of the air acolytes would be running a ferry back and forth between the island and the city. So far only three had gone. The rest, a total of five, had chosen to stay near Korra thinking it would be safer. "We've been out here all day and this is all we've gotten.

"Maybe that's because we're doing this the wrong way." Bolin thought, "We _are_ using a two hundred year old method."

"You got a better idea?"

"Yeah, actually I do. All of you guys, head back to air temple island." Reluctant the followers left. "Turn here." He pointed down one of the alleyways. Korra pulled on Naga's reins and the polar bear dog changed directions. Without the group trudging slowly behind them Korra urged their mount and friend into a run. The dog jumped into the run happily, her tongue lolling out of one side of her mouth.

A good while followed as Bolin led them through the city streets. Most of the roads and alleys were not ones she was familiar with and so she let him take charge of their direction. She was surprised at how confident he was about every road and path in this labyrinth of a city.

Where they stopped she did recognize. They had reached Grand Central Station. The station itself had bits and pieces of it that had fallen to rubble. One of the trains had been knocked onto its side. The cobblestone ground had chunks of it thrown here and there. In the center of the wreckage the statue of Fire Lord Zuko stood still with a calm expression still on his face. He raised his hand to the sky, the flame that normally burned there now extinguished. Below his feet a plaque was placed honoring the works of the fire lord that had helped the avatar end the hundred year war. The plaque had been painted over with the symbol of the equalists.

Bolin slid off Naga's back and ran to the front of the statue, his body blocking the symbol on the monument. "hey, Schoochi?" He called to no one. For a long time no one answered. "Come on, I know you're here. You gotta be here."

"You brought us here to look for a kid?"

"Well, yeah. Here, bring me Naga's sack." Korra dismounted and took the pack off the side of the saddle as she did. There wasn't much inside, a few pieces of dried meat, a couple containers of water, some half empty already, a piece of fruit. She tossed it to him as he sat down and took out some of the water and drank it. He patted for Korra to sit beside him and she did. "Now, all we do is wait."

"wait for what?"

"Shh." He took another long draught of water and raised his voice, "Man that's something good. Hey Korra, think you can hand me some of the jerky?"

"You really think this is a time for you to be thinking about your stomach?" She hissed, "Besides, that's for Naga remember."

"Just do it." With an annoyed sigh she handed it to him. He ate slow, leaning against the monument casually as if he had all the time in the world. Each time he took a bite they were small and he ripped them hungrily off the rest of the stick. They had been sitting for a little over a minute before they heard someone join them.

"You got any more of that?" korra looked up and saw the little street boy that had helped her when Bolin first went missing.

"I might." Bolin said just as casually as she looked, "But a boy's gotta eat you know. Get some meat on your bones and all."

"And you got enough on you to last you a good few months." Schoochy sat down in front of the two benders. "I'm assuming you want to know something?"

"Something around those lines."

"Well, it may have to wait. See, I had some trouble in the last attack. Got my head hit pretty hard. The memories a bit more clouded than normal." He opened a hand, "What do you have for me?"

Bolin reached in the bag and took out one of the waters and gave it to him. Schoochi opened it and drank deeply. He drank so fast, his gulps so massive, Korra was starting to worry he might choke. When it was finished he dropped the bottle and whipped his mouth.

"We need to know what's happened to most of the people in the city. Where are they staying?"

"Some stay in their houses," He answered, "But most everyone's taken to the tunnels under the city."

"the ones the equalists used?" Korra asked, Schoochi shook his head. "then what?" He didn't answer but held out his hand again. Bolin gave him the last water. Only when he had finished that off did he answer.

"There's another set of tunnels in the very center of the city. They've been there since forever. That's where they're staying."

"Good. We need you to get through those tunnels and spread the word. Tell them to get to air temple island. The air acolytes are planning a feast three days from now. The more people that show up, the bigger it'll be."

"Hmm." He rubbed his nose, "Seems like a lot of work, and I'm just a kid. Not sure if I can handle something that big. I may end up falling asleep on the job." Bolin reached in the bag and pulled out the fruit. He tossed it to Schoochi and the boy caught it, his eyes wide. "You got yourself a deal." And before they could say anything more the kid had taken off down one of the streets.

"Alright, lets get back home. We have a feast to get ready for."

"How do you even know people are going to show up?"

"Do you even see this place? People aren't eating like they used to. You can take away power and comfort. You can take away lights and cleaning. Heck, you can take away house and home if you wanted too. But when stuff goes bad the ones who have the power calls the shots. And real power comes in two forms. The first is money. Asami has that. The second is food. They'll come. They'll all come."


	6. Chapter 6

(A/N) Somehow I definetly thought I posted this a long time ago. Either way, I know my posts have been very far and in between. Sorry. Internets hard to get a hold of for me. And having two jobs and chirstmas and all. Life's been busy.

* * *

Three days passed faster than they had expected. Tenzin wasn't happy to hear what Bolin had done, but if it brought people to the island that's what mattered. And come they did, in waves of ten or twenty every few hours every day. Before long they had completely run out of rooms for them to stay in. Some volunteered to stay outside, others demanded they be given a place out of the cold. The council quickly decided that the ill and children shall be allowed a room first and from there it would be random as to who were given a place. Some, like Korra, was asked that they not take a room for the sake of letting the public see them refuse comfort for their cause. She was reluctant, but accepted.

From there the air acolytes began to prepare the feast. Already meals had become a bit scarce for the people on the island since winter had come and the fruit and vegetables on the island have been running low. It was quickly decided that other food would need to be brought to the island if anything would ever work.

"The task is simple," Tenzin told her for what had to have been the fourth time since they first thought up the plan, "Go as far as Omashu, but no farther. We'll need anything you can get your hands on."

"Don't worry." She patted Naga's head. The dog sat patiently on the boat as Mako prepared to leave. Her saddle had been altered so she could carry a cart behind her. They would fill it with any kind of food they could find and be back within the three days. Already in it was a series of ancient artifacts, antiques, and handmade clothes and crafts he hoped they could trade for supplies when they reached Omashu. Chosen for the mission was Korra, Mako, and Jenora. The oldest of the airbending children sat at the front of the boat, her legs crossed and her eyes closed in meditation as Mako worked around her. Just before they had decided to leave Katara volunteered to join them. The master waterbender had insisted that she was needed to continue Korra's training. "We'll be fine."

"It's when you say that that I start to worry." Tenzin told her, "Be careful and good luck. I'll keep things together here." He gave her a small hug, said his concerned farewells to his family, and then returned to the island. Korra went to the front of the boat with Katara. The two stood on either side of Jenora as they propelled the ship forward with their bending. They did not go directly to the land, but followed the shore on the small craft. Korra and Katara's bending together carried them faster than Naga could on land. The old Earth Kingdom capital was a long ways away and they needed every moment they could spare if they hoped to return in time.

After most of the day had passed Korra's arms ached when Katara decided they were close enough to travel by land. The avatar rolled her shoulders to ease the throb and looked over the master waterbender. Experience had lent her endurance in these sort of matters, but surely time had granted her some sort of frailty. Still, Katara looked hardly different than when they had left and any exhaustion she felt from hour upon hour of bending she hid well.

They made their port in a small port city just north-west of Omashu. There was a road that connected the two cities they could easily take. It was Katara who made arrangements at a dock for the small ship to stay there until their return. With that settled they checked Naga's harness and the cart as well as their cargo. When all was secure Korra took her place on Naga's back. The others stayed inside the cart with the supplies. They followed the shoreline and headed out of the city then to open land.

Korra had yet to see what the world looked like from outside republic city. She had come to the city a little over a year ago, but she had yet to explore outside its limits except to return home. She now looked over the landscape in a sort of awe. The fields that stretched around her were little more than hills and valleys that blended seamlessly together pools and rivers dotted and weaved through the land like the markings of a forest cat. And through it all a layer of green coated it not unlike the snow of the water tribes. Wild flowers of orange, yellow, blue, and purple spread over everything. Once they passed a small herd of wild ostrich horses grazing among the flowers.

Naga continued along the edge of a paved road. Very rarely a car would rumble past them, sending dust all over them, but no one stopped at the sight of a polar bear on the side of the street. "Stop!" Jenora's shout was loud enough that Naga stopped and looked behind her confused. The little airbender leapt out of the cart landing on an air scooter. She darted a good ways out into the field and dug beside a small plant.

"We don't have time to stop." Korra told her, "We need to reach Omashu by midnight if we're going to make it back in time."

"But look." She pulled up something from the ground that looked like a dirty orange cabbage, "We can use this for the festival. And it's wild so we don't have to trade anything for it."

"So we're going to feed our new army with one carrot cabbage." Korra said sarcastically.

"At least it's something." Katara said "we really should get going again though. Korra nodded and nudged Naga onward with her heels. Jenora picked up her book and read a few pages. Mako had fallen asleep in the back of the cart, his face mostly wrapped in his scarf. After only a few moments Jenora put a marker between the pages and set the book down beside her.

"Gran Gran," Katara looked up, "Can't you tell us a story since we have so long to go?"

"Of course I can. Which one did you want to hear? I don't believe I managed to finish the one about how Lin's mother and I escaped from prison."

"We can listen to that one later. I only wanted to hear about it because Chief Beifong was around. She always seems so interested in her mom's stories."

"I don't imagine Toph was the kind to talk much."

"Well, you never did tell me how Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko found Lady Ursa. Could you tell us that story?"

Katara breathed a deep sigh and looked up at the sun which was just beginning to reach the edges of the horizion. "Oh, I think that story will be too long for today. Besides, I'm not quite sure I'm up for re-telling it right now. Maybe some other time. Why don't you tell me about that book your reading instead."

"What this?" Jenora patted the book, "It's nothing much. Just some historical fiction. But you wouldn't like it. Neither would Korra."

"And what makes you say that?" Korra said over her shoulder, "Just because I don't read much doesn't mean I won't."

"Because no one likes the books I like." She dropped her gaze.

"That's ok. No one really liked the things I did as a kid either. I was the only water bender in the entire southern water tribe. It's alright to be a little different." Jenora smiled a little bit "Now, tell me about this story of yours."

"Well, it's about this princess who lived in the fire nation a long time ago. Her best friend was a red dragon so large his wings were the size of a house. And she had this boyfriend from the Earth Kingdom, but they really didn't call them boyfriends then. And he liked her, but the dragon didn't. And the dragons were the law in the fire nation back then. So when the dragon said they couldn't be together she ran away with him and they lived in the forest. The boy had an animal friend too, a Stone Cat, and she kept them safe from the dragon. I think the dragon found them again, but I haven't gotten that far."

"What's a Stone Cat?"

"It's kind of like a badger mole, just a little bigger. They were supposed to be the second earthbenders after them. They didn't live in tunnels like the moles did, but they made caves for shelter and to raise their young when they had nowhere to go. I'm pretty sure they went extinct long before the hundred years war though."

"So you haven't finished the story yet?" Katara asked.

"Almost."

"Well, you better finish. We'll be in Omashu soon and you're going to need a new one for the way back won't you?" Jenora smiled and picked up her book again. "Why don't you come back here and rest Korra. I know the way from here."

"No, I'm fine. Besides, Naga's more comfortable with me driving. Aren't you girl?"

"I can drive an animal just as well as you." Katara told her, "Besides, if you aren't going to rest I'm sure Tenzin would want you to at least do some meditating."

Korra sighed heavily, "Fine. Be good Naga." The dog looked up at her and licked her large, black nose as she climbed in the back beside Mako. She sat straight and positioned herself. Time slowed as her mind emptied. Katara secured herself on Naga and they walked again. Korra knew nothing else of the world.

The world's only master airbender paced his property slowly, his hand on his beard. Bolin's method of attracting a crowd had worked much better than he had hoped, and much better by far than his own plan. The island was beginning to become crowded with benders and non-benders alike, young and old, even innocent and criminals sat side by side with a single goal: survival. Even then he could see Lightning Bolt Zolt giving a piece of fruit to a child. He was only doing it to keep the little girl away from him, but still.

* * *

They had decided not to bother waiting to train the militia before the feast. Most of the people willing to come to the island were already more than willing to fight. Tenzin passed by where a good number of the recruits were training. They were lined like soldiers standing at attention as Lin shouted insults at them. Apparently a few had sloppy forms. Among them was Bolin, standing straight as a tree and his head high. His face he tried to keep stern and solid with determination. A little further he saw Mortaka standing in front of a group of young waterbenders perfecting a single water whip. Most seemed to already know it, but a few of the younger benders were even further behind. Those who were benders usually didn't use their bending for combat, but for more practical use like keeping rain off their nicer clothes, and needed to be trained all the same.

Bumi trained the non-benders in the main courtyard. For now he was training them in basic forms of hand to hand combat, namely chi blocking. It made a good number of the benders on the island nervous to have chi blockers on the island, but Bumi claimed it was the single most powerful weapon they had. The original chi blocker, a family friend of theirs, didn't use the technique just for taking out benders, but it temporarily paralyzed any person if used correctly. That was what they hoped to use against the equalists. They also hoped no one had taught the trick to the equalists themselves. Then there was also the case of the earth bending equalists. A long and drawn out meeting of the council ended with the decision of not alerting the population of their existence, but remaining cautious of earth benders just the same. If anything the chi blocking could be the city's defense against them just as the equalists rebels used it against the city.

"How is everything coming together." Tenzin said when he approached Rishmi. The Earth Kingdom councilman had been watching Bumi's training session but he usually went back and forth between them and the factory where Asami was working with a few of Lin's metalbenders as well as a group of contractors, laborers, and electricians made up of both benders and non benders to get the plant back up and running.

"Pretty good actually." He commented, "There's still a few of them without actual tasks, but your wife is keeping them occupied. There were a lot of kids brought here as well, too young to be put to use. Someone's got to take care of them while the rest of us are at war."

"Have that stay their task then, unless they'd be better off somewhere else. Have you seen Ihro? I'd like to talk with him."

Rishmi nodded towards the southern end of the island. "He usually goes off there at least once a day."

Tenzin thanked him and headed off towards where he had been directed. He found the military commander sitting on the island's edge with his legs crossed and eyes closed. In his hands, cupped in front of him, he held a small flame that grew and shrank with his breaths. Tenzin was quiet as he sat beside him and the two meditated together for a moment.

With his mind cleared he saw a great beast. Its paws were like small carts, its twitching tail thick and strong like the trunk of a tree. A human rode on its back as it reared, stretching its claws to a roaring dragon. Just as quickly as the scene before him appeared it vanished, replaced with an image of the interior of city hall, exactly as it had been before the war began. Standing there was not the other councilmen, but his father. His mouth moved and fearful emotions crossed over his eyes, but he could hear no sound. He tried to call to his father but a voice called him away.

"I'm sure you didn't come here just for this, even though I'm sure you enjoy it." Ihro's voice pulled him out of his meditation. The firebender had extinguished his flame and was watching him, "What did you want?"

"To see how you are doing."

"Fine." He answered curtly.

"I know that isn't true." Like their parents Tenzin and Ihro had been friends as children. If there was any person in the world that knew the general better than anyone, better than he knew himself, it was either Tenzin or Bumi. "I know how your father taught you how horrible war was, and now you are being thrown into the middle of it."

"My duty is to protect the people of Republic City. That is what I was assigned, that is what I will do. And this is no war. Just a few flashy extremists causing trouble in your city."

"People have _died_."

"You think I don't know that? People I have commanded for years died during the attack. That doesn't make this a war. I'm not a child, I don't need you looking after me."

Tenzin put his hand on his shoulder, "I wasn't. I was just seeing how you were. It's not for your sake. It's for my own. I have children now. I have to make sure that nothing happens to my family."

"I know," Ihro sighed, "I keep forgetting you have a family now. It's been . . . so long since we've been around each other. We should get back. I have training to do. How's Bumi handling?" The two of them stood and turned together towards the temple. They took a different way around, one that would take a little longer for them to reach.

"Causing a bit of a rift between benders and non-benders, but aside from that he's doing well. Not that I expected any different."

"And Lin? How's she?"

"Lin is, well, Lin. There's not really any way to describe her."

"What do you think of her?"

"What?" He pulled back a bit, "Why would you even ask something like that?"

"Because I know, just like how I know you."

"My time with Lin is over Ihro. I love Pemma. I have a family."

"Yeah, I know, Tenzin." Ihro looked away, "That's what you said."

* * *

He shook her shoulder gently. Slowly she came back to reality and opened her eyes. She looked at him sleepily and mumbled his name while she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Sleep well?"

"Better than I have in a while. Thanks."

Mako nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "Maybe when we get back we can have Naga carry you around the island every night then." She shoved him playfully. "Come on. Katara says we're almost there."

Korra looked up to where her mentor rode half hunched over Naga's back. Around her the landscape had broken away. The dog walked on a bridge high above the ground. Under them a vast canyon started and ended far in the horizon. In the canyon's center a wide column of earth supported the massive city of Omashu. A wall of steel encircled the city and skyscrapers reached high in the sky, even higher in than they did in Republic city. The bridge they followed stopped at the edge of the wall of steel, two soldiers stood in front of it standing straight and tall.

"State your business." One of the guards said. Aside from his green eyes that watched Katara intently he did not move. The second guard walked to the side of the cart and poked through some of the things.

"We're from Republic City. We are looking to trade for some supplies. We also seek an audience with King Nysawu."

"Nysawu doesn't see anyone without an appointment."

"I assure you it is extremely urgent." Katara said sternly, "We will see the king, with or without an appointment, I can promise you that."

"Who do you think you are, old woman?" The guard took an aggressive stance and the second followed his actions. Jenora shuddered and looked over the edge of the bridge. She was an airbender, she wasn't worried about herself, but if something happened and they fell would she be able to save all of them?

"My name is Katara." She answered "With me is my granddaughter, kin of Avatar Aang. And with me is Avatar Korra."

The bender hesitated, as if unsure if he was really facing the legend of a woman who had helped end the hundred years war. He glanced at the avatar in uncertainty as well. But when his eyes fell on Mako they narrowed, "Fine, then who's he?"

"A friend of mine and the avatar's. That's all that you need to know."

"Well," He slowly lowered his arms, "I don't trust you, kid. Don't cause any trouble. We'll send word to the king that you'd like to see him."

"That'll do." Katara nodded, "Now, if you wouldn't mind opening the gates hmm?" Grumbling the two positioned themselves on either side of the bridge. After a second of bending a great door opened in the wall of steel and the group entered.

Omashu was a large city, but condensed in a smaller space than Republic City. The buildings were closer together, streets and walkways much more narrow. Between them was a series of ramps and slides that boxes would slide through effortlessly. How they moved so quickly and soundlessly Jenora could not know.

"That," Katara said seeing how the group watched the ramps curiously, "is Omashu's mail system. They use earthbending and metalbending to send mail throughout the city. They've been doing it for several hundred years."

"Didn't you and grandpa Aang used to slide on the ramps Gran Gran?" Jenora asked, remembering the story.

"Yes, we did, a long time ago." Katara dismounted Naga and pet the dog's side for a moment. "Korra I want you to come with me to see the king. Jenora and Mako, you two head to the shopping district and see what you can get. Do you think you can find it on your own?"

"I think we can manage." Mako told her. Patting Naga's side the group separated.

The shopping district was clearly marked and separated from the rest of the city by a high wall of steel. Where they the path they followed met with the wall an arching gate stood open like the mouth to a cave.

"This place sure does like its walls doesn't it?" Mako said as they passed under it.

"Grandpa Aang says all the big earth kingdom cities are surrounded in walls." Jenora answered him, "He says that Ba Sing Se has the biggest walls he's ever seen, Probably the biggest in the world. But I thought you would have seen that by now."

"I've actually never been outside of republic city," Mako said sounding kind of embarrassed,

"Not even for pro-bending? I read about an arena in the northern water tribe strictly for waterbending teams. I think there's one in the fire nation just for firebending teams too. You should go see it someday."

"I think I will. Thanks." He smiled and turned his attention back to the shops. He opened his mouth, probably to suggest something, when Jenora stopped him.

"How about we let me do the haggling on the air temple stuff and you buy the food?" She said, "I've got a much better idea as to how much this stuff is worth anyway."

* * *

Korra looked up and down the highly decorated walls as she passed them. She saw columns of glittering marble and murals of various benders fighting or using their skill to help others somehow. She stopped for a moment as she saw a picture of Avatar Aang. He stood before Fire Lord Sozin, his eyes glowing a soft white light. The fire lord's eyes were wide with a sort of pain, confusion, and unknown terror.

"What is it Korra?"

"nothing." She looked away, "It's just, sometimes I forget that Aang took away people's bending too. It's hard to think of it as a good thing is all."

"Aang's gift was unique, given to him in a way no one could have expected."

"Yes, I know the story." Korra said. When she was little Katara loved telling her stories about how the hundred years war ended. She had to have known every detail by now. She didn't feel up for the story about the lion turtle again.

She was put back into reality as a thick black nose was thrust into her face and a wide tongue slathered her cheek with spit. "Naga no. You're supposed to stay with-" She stopped herself. This animal that licked her didn't have her polar bear's white fur, he was a dark shade of brown. And his ears were smaller and rounded, as was his tail. All four of his limbs were thick and powerful and his paws ended in trimmed claws. "What _are_ you?"

"Sabo, no. Down boy." She heard the command and saw someone approaching them. He was a thin man, his brown hair pulled back and his skin just as dark. "Sorry about him. He just likes meeting new people."

"No, it's fine. I'm used to it." Korra told him.

"Wonderful." He clasped his hands together. "Come. This really isn't the place for us. Into my throne room, both of you." The two followed what Korra figured was the King Nysawu they were here to see. The throne room was vast and, like the rest of the hall, decorated with glittering murals of benders and badger moles. What wasn't gleaming in gold was varying shades of green and brown. The king walked up a short golden and emerald staircase to where his throne sat waiting for him. The fuzzy brown beast lumbered beside him and laid down heavily next to the throne. Nysawu stroked his head as he talked. "Now, for proper introductions. As you know I am King Nysawu, ruler of this part of the earth kingdom. This is my right hand, Sabo the bear." The bear grumbled a little at the sound of his name.

"My name is Katara and this is Avatar Korrra. We've come a long way from Republic City to meet you."

"Yes, I _did_ hear that the avatar was training in Republic City. How is that coming along?"

"Just fine, thank you." Katara said before Korra could answer. "But that's really not why we're here. I'm sure by now you've heard about the anti-bending revolution."

"We've read about it in the papers. But for the most part the only thing that's affected us is a slower business for Future Industries. Either way, we've all heard about how you, avatar, exposed Amon for the liar he truly was. It's good to hear that things are back to normal there."

"Actually, that's why we're here." Korra told him, "Things _aren't_ back to normal."

"What do you mean?" He leaned forward, resting his chin on his knuckles.

"A few days ago the equalists attacked Republic City, harder than they did the first time. The city is still without power and most of our military forces have fallen. We need any help you could offer us."

The king was quiet for a moment. "Surely the equalists aren't _that_ great of a threat."

"They are more than you could imagine."

"I'll need some time to think about this." The kind stood.

"What?" Korra burst out. "People have _died_ and you want to spend time _thinking_ about it."

"Korra wait." Katara's hand on her shoulder holding back the young avatar was all that kept her from attacking the king right there. "We understand. But we cannot wait for your answer long. We can only stay until nightfall tomorrow and then we must return to Republic City. Have your answer by then."

"I will." The king nodded to the both of them and waved his hand to dismiss them.

Korra followed as Katara walked slowly from the king's throne room. She didn't speak, she didn't vary from the place where she followed from her side. She just focused. Focused on her thoughts and the words she wanted to say. There were so many, but they were all angry, harsh words that she knew her teacher would not want to hear.

It took her until they had completely left the palace and entered the gardens that surrounded it. Vast fields of green littered with decorative bushes and flowers stretched in all directions. Cobblestone pathways crossed gently rolling streams on white painted bridges. Overall, it made her miss the gardens in Republic City where she and Naga first fished together. When the elder found a place to sit she could finally talk again.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Let him just leave us hanging like that. We need him to give us some kind of army. The equalists could arrive at any minute and we're dead."

"Because when you get as old as me you start to think about things. And a king and _should_ think like someone as old as me."

* * *

The flock of lizard crows took flight in a flurry of feathers as the three kids ran past shouting and playing. Behind them the woman who was supposed to be watching them followed telling them to be careful around the birds.

"How about you get your kids outta here?" Someone said as they passed the children. Over his shoulder he held a heavy bag of tools. Several times he had to stop as a kid darted in front of him.

"Where else are they supposed to play?" She argued, "They need someplace."

"Take them back to the island for all I care."

"The kids stay here for now." The two broke up their argument at the sound of Asami's voice. The new leader of Future Industries stood firmly, "It's better they play here than get into trouble somewhere else. Now head back to work." He grumbled but passed by. Then Asami looked to the caretaker. "Do you think maybe you could take them outside for now? The raining stopped and they are kind of getting in the way."

"I'll try." She answered and starting herding the kids outside. With them gone the place instantly became quieter and she could hear only the sounds of the workers inside. They talked to each other in deep voices. Occasionally a bolt of lightning sizzled and crackled. Lizard crows cawed and flew about in the rafters above them, but mostly they left them alone.

Asami walked back to where people were still working. Two men held a pipe together while a third used firebending to weld them together. A fourth used waterbending to hold the water inside the pipe while they worked. When it was secure the waterbender released the water and let it flow freely. It followed the pipe to where some others were waiting for it.

She walked past them to where some earthbenders were clearing some wreckage. A metalbender who she had known since her childhood, a good man who went by Umikei, would lift what he could, shouldering a majority of the work himself. The others would clear pieces of rock and stone as well as clear a place for the metal to be put. One man stood to the side giving them instructions on where to put things and what to move.

For the most part Asami left the workers to what they were doing. She gave them a task and trusted them to it. They wanted to have the power back on just as much as anyone else so she knew they would try to do it right. Of the survivors there were a few people who had actually worked for her father before, they knew how things were normally run.

"Clear this part out over here." The man commanded, his voice like iron.

"Kai" Asami called his name and he looked up. She had put Kai in charge of most of the workers. The non-bender had worked for her father since she was a child and she trusted him well. She didn't like it, but she was sure that she was only allowed to work with him as closely as she did simply because he lacked the ability to bend. Another symbol of how everyone can still get along in this world, just like she was. The concept was more than annoying to her. "How's everything coming? We need this part finished by tonight, if not sooner."

"We're doing all we can." He said motioning to the wreckage with pointed fingers as he spoke, "this part of the building took a lot of damage. We did manage to repair the wall, but it's not a permanent fix. We can go back to it after this war is over. After we get this wreckage moved aside then we can get some of those lightningbenders to see if we can get the generators up again."

"How long do you think?"

"If Umikei gets his but in gear we should be able to move on in a couple of-"

"Look out!" The shout sounded and metal creaked and screeched. The sound of tumbling rocks echoed like thunder on the metal walls. Asami looked up and saw the wall, leaning and sagging before finally falling in. Pieces of stone and earth, mixed with bent steel, tumbled from the wall as it fell. The group ran to get clear of the falling debris. Umikei turned to try to hold the wall itself, but it was too large and he lost his hold on it before fleeing with the rest.

Asami stopped, seeing something she wished she hadn't, one of the children was playing near the collapsing wall, chasing a lizard crow. "Get away from there!" She shouted to him, but the boy didn't seem to hear. Just kept running into the wreckage. She did not think, times like this never allowed it, and ran for the boy. She caught him in her arms and buried her against her chest. With nowhere to run she curled as tight into a ball as she could, clutching the boy as tightly as possible and squeezing her eyes shut. Around her she heard the thunder of falling earth, but when it finally stopped she felt nothing.

She lifted her head and saw nothing, blackness surrounded her. When she reached out she felt a cold wall of earth and stone and steel. She could hear the boy panting fearfully in her arms. She hushed him, telling him everything would be alright. She could say this truthfully because she knew it was true. The very force that saved them would be what rescued them. A shaft of light pierced the darkness quickly followed by another. The earthbenders were freeing her.

With enough cleared away she stepped out from the wreckage, the boy still in her arms. She put him down and he immediately ran to the caretaker where he clung to her legs. "Everyone else ok?" Asami called.

"We have a few injured," One of the waterbenders told her, "But only one serious case." She looked down at Kai lying on the floor in front of her. She traced small streams of glowing water over his body but he never moved.

"How bad is it?" Asami knelt next to him. She focused on looking calm, she couldn't let anyone see her afraid or scared or they would be as well. But to see someone she had known all her life, someone who had taken care of her when her father couldn't, someone who cared for her father in ways she couldn't after her mother died, to see them so helpless and dieing shook her core. The waterbender shook her head.

"I'm taking care of him. If anything happens I'll let you know." Asami followed the trail of water over his skin. He was pale and still, but she did not see something that looked like a bruise or cut of any kind. A man was dying in front of him, dying because of a collapsing wall, and it looked like nothing had touched him. She was not going to rule out some sort of internal injury just yet though, that would be the healer's task.

"Keep me posted." Asami told her and she stood and walked to the caretaker. She needed to be away from him while the work was done. The caretaker was holding the boy Asami had saved, whipping away his frightened tears. "What happened? Why was he playing in a work zone? And why didn't he get out of the way?"

"I'm sorry Asami." She said, "There's just so many little ones. And this one, he was born deaf and his head isn't as good as it should be. He probably didn't even know anything was happening until it was too late."

"Where are his parents?"

"I haven't seen them since the attack. They could be dead."

"Probably. All the same get them all out of here. I know there's hardly any room there anymore but all the kids are going to have to be kept on the island until things are recovered. We can't have this happening again." The caretaker nodded sharply, taken back by the harshness in her voice, and ran her fingers through the frightened boy's hair before leaving. A few of the other kids she rounded together and sheepherded outside. Just as Asami turned away the waterbender was behind her. "Anything?"

"He's dead." She answered gravely, hanging her head. Tears glittered at the edges of the benders eyes as Asami held back her own and an emptyness settled inside her. "I tried everything I could, but it wasn't enough. He was already mostly gone by the time I got to him."

"It's alright." Asami put a hand on her shoulder and looked to the dead worker. "You did you're best. But he doesn't look like he was hit by any of the rocks. What killed him? Did a-"

"Nothing." The healer answered quickly, cutting off her question. The bender looked back at him and answered, "or something. I don't know, Mrs. Sato. I really don't. His heart, it just, stopped."

"See if you can figure it out. Heart's don't just stop without a reason. I'll let his family know what happened." She looked up to one of the air acolytes that had come with her there. "and you, head back to Air Temple Island. Let Tenzin and the rest of the council know what happened." The acolyte nodded and sped out of the wrecked chamber. Only then could she look to the whole of the group. They looked at her with eyes of sadness, fear, and worry. They looked to her for the leadership they looked for in her father.

Somehow she would have to give it to them.

* * *

"Fifty yuans."

"You're kidding me? Do you have any idea how rare this is?"

"Fifty-five. I won't go any higher than that."

"Well, maybe you won't. But I'm sure that other vender I saw on the way over here would. His shop looked rather nice."

The voices she heard before they even came into view. Mako and someone else. Arguing. When the two waterbenders rounded a corner she saw him standing by the front window of a shop. In one hand he held some sort of instrument, a horn of some kind. The weaving metal pipes on the instrument were delicately painted in spiraling patterns of white and pale blue. The firebender stood tall, looking away from the shopkeeper as though nothing mattered. The shopkeep's eyes never left the horn. Korra started to approach but was stopped by Jenora who raised her arm in her path.

"I'd leave him to this alone." She told them, "Fire and lightning aren't the only things he's mastered."

"Ah, you saw Cho's store then?" The shopkeep answered, "I wouldn't bother with a place like theirs. They wouldn't know what to do with an instrument like that."

"Apperently neither do you. Two hundred yuans. I won't go any lower."

The two argued back and forth, over and over. The price for the horn wavered back and forth shifting more than an ocean tide. When all was finished Mako walked away without the horn and added another hundred and fifty yuans to what they could spend. Jenora took the money then and headed off to buy what she could.

"Hey," Mako's voice was soft when he wrapped an arm around her waist, "How'd everything go with the king?"

"Could have been better. The king knows what's up, but he wants to think before sending us any help."

"Well, at least he knows." Mako shrugged passively, "I'm sure he'll give us an answer soon."

"It's still crazy. There's an entire army here and he won't even do anything. And everything at home has gotten so bad. We don't even know how they're doing since we left and-"

"Hey." He stopped her with a finger on her lips, "Don't worry about it. He's bound to decide to help us. Why wouldn't he?"

"Yeah," She sighed, "I guess you're right." She dropped her hand beside her, expecting it to fall on something warm and soft. But it landed on only air. Thinking it was odd she looked at her hand wondering why she had thought she was going to touch something. Then she remembered what wasn't beside her. "Hey, where's Naga?"

"She's over there." Mako told her pointing. There was a small place beside the road where they had let the polar bear dog stay, her head rested on her oversized paws and her ears twitched with unseen dreams. Korra ran and dropped to her knees in front of the dog and pet her head. Naga opened her sleepy eyes and yawned before twisting her head to rest in Korra's lap.

"good girl." She muttered to her friend, "Did you behave for Mako and Jenora? I bet you did? You must still be sleepy girl." Naga only closed her eyes and went back to sleep. "Good girl."

"Yeah, she's been asleep most of the day. Didn't cause any trouble." Mako said sitting beside her.

"You'd be tired too carrying a cart halfway from republic city with four people and a butt load of airbender stuff. She's not made to be a pack animal."

"I know. But when we need her she always pulls through."

"And she always will." Korra leaned against his shoulder but kept rubbing Naga's ears, "How'd the shopping spree go?"

"Pretty well. First Jenora wanted to sell stuff and me buy the food. Turns out she doesn't make a very good haggler."

"Aang didn't either." Katara told her as the two returned adding food of various kinds to the back of the cart. "It must be genetic or something."

"We just switched places and everything turned out alright though." Jenora said, "besides, it's not like I didn't try."

"I'm sure you tried your best sweetie. Did you finish that book? The one about the dragon and two lovers?"

"Oh yeah I did! And I just found the best bookshop ever. Were you really going to get me a new one?"

"Of course I am sweetie. Just show me where it is." Jenora already had her grandmother's hand and was leading her away "Korra, you and Mako just sit tight until the king is ready to talk to us. I'm not sure how long this will take." And before any more debate could be made the two were gone, completely swallowed into the crowded streets of the city.

Korra and Mako both watched the mail delivery system pass between the buildings. Korra remembered Katara telling her how she had rode on the pathways as a child along with the avatar and her brother. She closed her eyes trying to think of what it would be like. A faint memory stirred her thoughts, riding in a basket of stone down a rough hill of earth. The wind through her robes, her friends calling her for help. She saw a face she knew was her mentor, so many years younger yet looking almost the same.

A nudge to her shoulder took her thoughts out of it. A mango fell into her lap. When she picked it up she realized just how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since before they left Republic City nearly a day ago. "I'm betting you're probably as hungry as me." Mako said climbing off the cart with a fruit of his own and settling beside her again.

"more than you know. But isn't this supposed to go towards the feast? It's probably wrong if we eat it."

"You're the avatar. You need to keep your strength up. I'm sure this can be an exception."

"Fine, but only if you're allowed to be an exception with me." With a shrug she ate with him. For a while there was only silence. The city continued its usual noise: people talking, cars rumbling, packages flying by. All was normal. Peaceful.

It was a nice change from everywhere else's normal.

"Sooo," Korra said after a few minutes, "Aren't we supposed to talk, or something?"

"About what?"

"I don't know. Stuff. Food. Pro-bending. The end of the world. I'd like to avoid that last one though."

"We can if you want. Why?"

"I just thought it's just what couples do. And now that we're, well you know." She looked up from where she leaned against him to see him smiling as he watched her. His amber eyes glinted with some sort of amusement. So she shoved him with her shoulder "Shut up. Don't you laugh at me."

"You really don't know what it's like to _have_ a boyfriend, do you?" He laughed

"Sorry. I was too busy training to keep the world from blowing up to really think about boys."

"It's fine." She felt his hand run through her hair, "Kinda cute actually. Alright we can talk about stuff if you really want. To be honest I was just enjoying sitting next to you."

"You know, I was liking that too." She went back to leaning against him. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and rested his head on hers. Naga's head stayed in her lap not moving. The city's voice became a comfort as she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the touch of the man she loved. The man she loved and her best friend both at her side.

What more could she want?

She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until she heard the crash. She jumped away from the sound practically throwing her body into Naga's before she realized what happened. The dog had barely moved until she woke her. Mako was already on his feet, his stance aggressive, his eyes wild. She had known those eyes, the hunger, the desire to fight.

Inside the cart Katara lifted her head along with Jenora. "What's happening?" The young airbender asked. In the distance another explosion echoed.

"There!" Mako shouted the direction, pointing, then ran before anything could be asked. He ran towards where they heard the sound. The glass window of the shop had been broken through. Shards of glass and wood scattered where the hole was left. Bits and pieces of the owners trade of kitchenware was thrown about in all directions. Inside a car had crashed inside. Thin gray smoke already started seeping from under the front hood. Through the back window she could see the silhouette of a man lying unmoving against the steering wheel.

Above them another explosion crashed in the delivery system. Debris of glass and metal rained on what few people remained on the street. Crash after crash sounded from varying places in the city. People were beginning to wake, to come outside where they hoped they'd be safe.

"Someone's in that car!" Korra shouted running inside the shop. The door resisted her for a moment, but with a much harder pull it opened with a rusty squeal. "Hey you," She shook the man, wanting to see if he was alive first. He groaned, barely lifting his head. "Hey, come on. You gotta get out of here." She leaned in, reaching for his seat belt to help pull him from the car.

He lifted his head and stared at her with a pale face. His eyes, a startling blue, looked up at her and he smiled. "Well, Avatar," He said, "Imagine meeting you here. This should be fun." She looked away from his eyes. She saw his shirt. There on his chest she saw an emblem. One she shouldn't see.

"Wait, wha-" She felt heat. Fire. She felt herself be thrown back at an impossible speed. She crashed into a pile of metal pots sending them crashing painfully all around her. She didn't hear them as they fell. Her ears still rang from the sound of the explosion. She knew only pain from the impact, her skin screaming from the burn. Mako was there before she could manage to stand. He was calling to her, his words half lost to her. She saw what was left of the car, little more than burning scraps of metal now.

"Korra! Korra! Answer me!" She finally understood his words

"I'm fine." She said pushing away from the wall. She stumbled just a bit, but she could already feel her strength returning, her blood burning with the same fire she felt before any fight. That alone was what kept her going. "The car, it was rigged to blow. I was just . . . just too close." Her legs gave way slightly and Mako caught her.

"You're hurt. Bad. Katara!"

"I'd love to help, but I'm a little busy." She couldn't see what her master was doing. With her hearing almost back to normal she could hear more explosions, people screaming, people hurting.

"Go. Help her." She told him.

"I'm not-"

"Do it." She said more firmly, "That guy, the one in the car, he set this up. He was an equalist."

"you can't know that."

"I saw his clothes. He had the same symbol Amon used. The city's under attack. Go help Katara. I'll catch up." He looked back through the hole in the wall, then to the remains of the explosion.

"Be safe." He said and kissed her forehead gently before tearing out of the shop.

Korra leaned against the wall. Everything in her burned, her body wanting nothing more than to break. It took her a good few minutes to compose herself. She tried to clear her mind, control her pain, find some way to push it out of her mind. She needed to focus. Needed to focus on the fight. Nothing her mind could do could force away the pain. But there was a way for her to stop thinking about it.

A painful howl split the air. It sounded above the continuing explosions and the crashing glass. In it she heard a message no one else would understand. One of fear, one of pain, one of uncertainty, one of loss. But more than that she heard a single thought. Trapped. Nowhere to run. No way to fight. Trapped. Trapped. _Trapped!_

"Naga!" Her friend's howl brought her strength from deep within her. The pain was still there, still making her ache with every step, she just no longer thought of it. She ran outside as fast as she could. From the outside of the shop she could not see any of the friends that came with her to the city. She wasn't looking for them. She only looked for Naga.

It didn't take long. She had not gone far. The polar bear dog leapt about, howling and pulling, but never moved from one spot. At her sides the cart filled with food was still harnessed. A massive piece of building had fallen, destroying most of the food and pinning the cart to where it half stood. Fire danced under the polar bear dog's paws as she pulled and fought against her harness, but nothing she did could free her.

"Hold on girl," Korra said when she was close enough. She tried to reach out to the straps on her harness, but she never held still. Always jumping, always pulling, always howling. Korra tried to reach her head, to hold it between her hands and tell her to be calm. But she always pulled away before she could. She fought so hard Korra began to see the fur around the powerful straps stain red. It took almost all of the energy she had left just to get ahold of one of the straps and unclasp it. Only then did she seem to notice Korra was even there. "See, it's ok. Just calm down for me. Just for a minute. Everything will be alright." She promised as she undid the strap on the second side. With the cart no longer attached the dog dashed from where she was trapped, stopping only when she was clear of the wreckage. Her stained white flanks heaved as she panted. Her eyes darted around her at the chaos of battle with wild rage.

Korra followed her, leaping up into the saddle when she was near enough. She ignored the burn marks along the edges of her tack and took the reins in her hands. "Find Mako and the others. We have to help them." Naga barked in response and ran.

The streets were in chaos. People ran through the streets screaming and shouting as confusion reigned. Among them, every so often, Korra spotted a chi blocker fighting with a bender. Naga did not stop to help them, simply barreled through them as they passed. Fire erupted from broken buildings pouring thick black smoke into the air. They did not try to extinguish the flames, there were simply too many. They saw a small group of waterbenders, Omashu's fire department, doing what they could but always ending up overwhelmed.

It took them a long time to find the others, Korra doubted it would have been possible without Naga's strength, speed, and her incredible nose that could find the scent of her friends through all of this madness. They were fighting, as if she expected anything different. The two older benders stood on opposite sides of Jenora, doing what little they could to keep her between them. Chi blockers came from the chaotic crowds in an attempt to take down the benders. One swiped his leg under Mako's feet while the other kicked for his chest. He had dodged the higher one, but was knocked to the ground.

"NO!" Korra shouted as they closed in on him. In the same moment Naga let loose a fierce roar and leapt at the closest of the two pinning him to the ground with heavy paws. She held him like that for a few moments, her growling muzzle only inches away from his face, then let him go. He scrabbled away and disappeared into the crowd. The other one was already gone. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Mako answered quickly. She knew he wasn't going to tell her anything otherwise so she didn't bother pressing. Katara and Jenora had gotten ahead of them and were running. "Come on. We have to keep moving."

"Why? Where are we going?"

"To protect the king." Korra nodded and whistled for Naga. The dog, who had thrown aside a chi blocker that tried to come too close with her massive head, turned and ran to their side. She stopped when she was close enough to them that the both of them could mount and charged for the palace stopping only once to pick up Katara and Jenora.

The dog plowed through the battle without slowing or hesitating. People were thrown aside, bent pieces of metal debris were simply knocked away by her head. She was a polar bear dog. She did not go around her challenges, she went through them. But as grand a beast as she was, she could not continue forever. Already her sides heaved with every labored breath. Her strides became less and less powerful. Korra alone could feel the change in her friend's movements and pet her neck as they ran. "It's not far now girl." She promised, "You're doing great. It's not far." And her words were true. Already she could see the massive building that was the palace. Around it explosions fired, one of the far wings of the building burned.

"Naga you stay here." Korra said running her hands through the fur on the top of her head. The dog looked up at her, looked into her eyes. "I know you want to come with me, but you're tired and hurt. You need to stay. Get somewhere safe." Slowly the dog walked away sniffing for a place to hide, her tail drooping.

For the most part the others had already gotten inside. Mako waited halfway up the stairs for her when she caught up with him the two of them turned and ran inside the palace. They didn't need to say anything, they followed each other. Korra led the way through the building, not knowing the pathways well but better than Mako. It was the sound of a roaring animal, one with a voice almost like Naga's but so very different, that brought her to the right place. They passed the hall of murals of the past avatars without even looking at it.

The king's throne room was destroyed. Columns were shattered, pieces of gold from the walls were broken. The throne itself had been crushed and shards of it scattered across the floor. Sabo had run from the disaster, trying to hide himself in the corner of the room. The king was beside him, burying his head in his fur as they both trembled.

In the room's center stood what was probably the most dangerous of all of the equalists. Korra knew only because she had fought him on so many occasions. If ever she won against him it was just barely. The first time she saw him he had been standing over the unconscious bodies of her friends. Now Katara already lay still and unmoving near him.

"Get away from Gran Gran!" Jenora shouted swinging her staff at him. He blocked with one of his smaller sticks, electricity sparking on their surface. Mako and korra struck him together. The ground trembled and jumped throwing him in the air. A ball of fire struck him as he fell. When he hit the ground, bouncing before he looked up, he cursed.

"Avatar," He growled, his eyes narrowing at her "You weren't supposed to be here,"

"Too bad for you mustache guy." Another piece of earth leapt from under him, knocking him sideways and into a wall. "I'm here now. Deal with it."

That was when he attacked, impossibly fast and agile. He moved like a bolt of lightning starting one direction, then changing to another way. Korra struck with earth, Mako with lightning, but both attacks missed him. When he was near enough he struck her, his only aim was to hit her. Mako he all but ignored even while the bender fought him. His only target was the avatar.

Only once did he manage to hit her. One of his sticks struck her painfully on the shoulder. Electricity jolted through her and she cried out staggering back. She fell, tripping over something on the ground. Still hurting from her other injuries her body locked. She couldn't get herself to stand and run. She knew what came next. Pain. He would hit her more. Maybe even kill her.

But he didn't.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, gentle and warm. When she looked up she saw Mako, his face concerned. "Don't tell me you're alright." He said as she tried to stand, "You're hurt. Here." He ran his fingers gently along where the lieutenant hit her. It didn't really make the pain go away, but she still liked his touch.

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know. He knocked you down and just left."

"Katara," She looked over to her waterbending teacher. Jenora was kneeling beside her grandmother, watching intently. "Is she . . ."

"No. Just hurt."

"Get me some water." She told him. "I can help her." He paused for a long moment, as if he was going to say something, but in the end he didn't argue and ran.

Korra pushed herself to stand and move herself closer to Katara. Now that the battle was over her body remembered the pain she was in and movement became difficult. Jenora helped her, letting her lean against the smaller girl. Before Mako came back the elder had already opened her eyes and pushed herself to sit up.

"What's happened?" She grumbled rubbing her head, "Where is he?"

"Gone. He just left." Korra answered.

"If I didn't know any better," The kings uneven voice called their attention. He was walking towards them, but his pet stayed cowering in the corner. "I'd say you knew that assassin."

"We do." Korra told him, "He used to be second in command of the equalists when Amon was in charge. I guess he's taken over."

Katara struggled to stand, even with Korra and Jenora's help. "So, those were equalists then." The king said as he walked out of the throne room. On the way they passed Mako who carried a small bowl of water. He didn't say anything, just followed them as they left the palace. From the top of the steps to the palace they looked over the city. What had once been so beautiful was now crushed and broken.

"My city." The king whispered looking over it all with sadness and fear etched in his face. "My beautiful, beautiful city." Even as they watched one of the buildings leaned just a bit too far and toppled into the buildings beside it. "You say the equalists did this?"

"Yes." Korra told him, "They've already done the same thing to Republic city. That's why we need your help."

"I cannot help you then." He said shaking his head sadly, "I need to focus on my own people, my own city. When we have rebuilt then we can help you."

"We understand." Katara said before Korra could say something. "Give us just another cart to get home in and we'll be out of your way."

"Take it." The king muttered with a wave of his hand, "I have one carriage we use for ceremonies, but I don't think we'll be using it much." Katara bowed her thanks and headed slowly down the stairs. "Korra, Naga, It's time we left."

Naga had found a small hole in the side of one of the buildings to hide in. She had rested her head on her paws and waited for her friend to come back for her. When she did she lifted her head and wagged her tail licking her face. At least someone was happy.

"Come on girl," Korra said trying to sound at least a little happy, "It's time to head home."

They brought Naga to the carriage and harnessed her to it, though the dog struggled a bit. Naturally she was reluctant to be restrained a second time. They returned to the cart that had been destroyed and salvaged what they could from it. The haul was pitiful. Only a few handful of nuts and fruits were even close to being able to be eaten. The rest was completely lost. Even Jenora's books, both the one she had been reading and the new one Katara had gotten for her, were nothing more than scraps of burned paper and ashes.

With their small amount of food gathered into the carriage Korra took her place on Naga's back and they walked slowly out of the city. Though Naga seemed happy to be moving her steps were slow, a sign of her weariness. When they passed the outer wall Korra looked back from where she rode. Katara sat beside Mako, water glowing in her hands as she checked him for injuries. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" She asked.

"No," Katara answered sadly, "I didn't know. I thought it might happen though. The equalists already won Republic City. It only seemed like something they would do. The revolution is spreading. Republic City isn't the only place in danger anymore."


End file.
